Kenner Products
Kenner Products opened its doors in 1946 within Cincinnati, Ohio. Three brothers named Albert, Philip and Joseph L. Steiner established the business together. They chose a street name just north of Cincinnati Union Terminal for their corporate headquarters. This location gave the company its identity as Kenner. The Steiner family began using television advertisements to sell toys across the United States starting in 1958. Their strategy marked them as pioneers in direct-to-consumer marketing during that era.
The company introduced a corporate mascot known as the Kenner Gooney Bird in 1962. A simple slogan accompanied the bird image with the phrase It is Kenner! It is fun!. Jim Henson created an Easy-Bake Oven commercial featuring this puppet character in 1968. The same puppet later became Little Bird on Sesame Street after 1969. General Mills purchased the entire company in 1967 while it was still growing.
General Mills merged its Rainbow Crafts division into Kenner in 1971. This move brought Play-Doh into the product lineup under the Kenner brand. The Gooney Bird mascot disappeared from advertising campaigns by 1974. The early years focused on building a recognizable brand through consistent visual identity and aggressive media spending.
Kenner changed hands multiple times throughout its operational history. General Mills owned the company until 1985 when they spun off both Kenner and Parker Brothers divisions. These two entities formed a new corporation called Kenner Parker Toys, Inc. The following year saw Kenner Parker sell off its Lionel Trains division to another buyer.
Tonka acquired Kenner Parker in 1987 and reconstituted Kenner Products as a division within their larger organization. Hasbro purchased Tonka including all its subsidiaries in mid-1991. The Cincinnati offices of Kenner closed down completely in 2000. Product lines from the defunct company merged directly into Hasbro's existing operations.
The ownership chain moved from family founders to food conglomerates then to toy manufacturers. Each transition altered how products were developed and distributed. The final absorption into Hasbro ended Kenner as an independent entity after fifty-four years of operation.
Kenner secured rights to produce Star Wars action figures and playsets for the trilogy between 1976 and 1985. They popularized the 3.75 inch scale that became an industry standard for action figures. Mego Corporation had rejected the license before Kenner stepped in during 1976. The company also produced toys related to The Six Million Dollar Man television series and the 1979 film Alien.
A highly acclaimed line called Super Powers Collection ran from 1984 through 1986. These figures represented DC Comics superheroes with unique mechanical features. Squeezing Superman's legs made him throw a punch while other characters performed similar actions. Jack Kirby designed New Gods characters and George Pérez created Cyborg figures for this specific line. DC Comics honored Kenner in their Fifty Who Made DC Great publication in 1985.
The Real Ghostbusters toy line debuted alongside the animated series in 1986. It continued production through most of the show's run until 1991. Unlike earlier lines, these toys stopped attempting faithful reproduction of source material designs. Kenner designers created original costumes weapons and ghost characters instead. This approach shifted how licensed toys were developed compared to previous years.
Kenner introduced several construction toys including Girder and Panel building sets in 1957. They released the Give-a-Show projector in 1959 followed by the Easy-Bake Oven in 1963. Spirograph drawing toys appeared on shelves in 1966 while Starting Lineup sports action figures launched in 1988. The company also entered diecast car markets briefly with Fast 111's in 1981.
Action figure design evolved significantly under Kenner management. Super Powers Collection figures featured mechanical triggers that activated punches or special moves. These mechanisms differentiated them from competitors like Mattel's Masters of the Universe line. The 3.75 inch scale established by Star Wars became a standard measurement for future products.
Later lines like Dark Knight Collection launched in 1990 took inspiration from Batman films rather than comic books directly. Vehicles such as Batmobiles and Batplanes reflected the highly successful 1989 movie version. Subsequent releases drew from animated series and comic book incarnations instead. Most DC Comics lines incorporated multi-colored costumes weapons and action features unrelated to existing storylines.
Chaos Effect line released in 1998 failed to meet sales expectations. Night Hunter series planned for 1999 got cancelled due to poor performance. This failure made Jurassic Park more of an annoyance than a trademark brand name for Hasbro. Overproduction of Star Wars Episode I toys combined with low sales forced downsizing decisions.
Hasbro closed the Cincinnati department resulting in forty-two layoffs and one hundred transfers. The Jurassic Park design team among those laid off had just started early concepts for Jurassic Park III. Hasbro assigned Jurassic Park III toys to their Star Wars design team instead. They scaled humans to match Star Wars figures and adopted styles similar to Attack of the Clones products.
Poor commercial results led to structural changes within the company. Resources shifted away from Cincinnati operations toward other divisions. The closure marked the end of independent Kenner product development at that location.
Hasbro reintroduced the Kenner brand in 2010 through Star Wars: The Vintage Collection. Modern action figures featured packaging reminiscent of original 1978 through 1984 releases. These new items included highly pose-able figures with screen-accurate likenesses. Previous attempts included 2004 Original Trilogy Collection and 2006 through 2007 Saga Collection versions.
This 2010 release marked the first time their entire Star Wars line dedicated itself to replica Kenner carded figures. The collection honored decades of history while introducing new products to modern collectors. Hasbro continued this approach with Spider-Man lines starting in 2010 and G.I. Joe Rise of Cobra products in 2009.
The revival preserved visual elements from the original era while updating functionality for contemporary audiences. It demonstrated how legacy brands could be reactivated without losing their core identity. The move signaled a strategic shift toward honoring historical design choices rather than discarding them completely.
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Common questions
When did Kenner Products open its doors in Cincinnati Ohio?
Kenner Products opened its doors in 1946 within Cincinnati, Ohio. Three brothers named Albert, Philip and Joseph L. Steiner established the business together.
Who created the Kenner Gooney Bird mascot for the company?
Jim Henson created an Easy-Bake Oven commercial featuring this puppet character in 1968. The same puppet later became Little Bird on Sesame Street after 1969.
What year did General Mills purchase Kenner Products?
General Mills purchased the entire company in 1967 while it was still growing. They merged their Rainbow Crafts division into Kenner in 1971 to bring Play-Doh into the product lineup under the Kenner brand.
Which Star Wars action figure scale did Kenner establish as an industry standard?
Kenner secured rights to produce Star Wars action figures and playsets for the trilogy between 1976 and 1985. They popularized the 3.75 inch scale that became an industry standard for action figures.
When did Hasbro close the Cincinnati offices of Kenner Products?
The Cincinnati offices of Kenner closed down completely in 2000. Product lines from the defunct company merged directly into Hasbro's existing operations following forty-two layoffs and one hundred transfers.